clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Democratizing the Astros managerial search: The results

By Stephen Higdon Updated

For those of you just joining this harebrained scheme of mine, let me catch up.  First I reasoned the following about our managerial search and the discussion around it:

With ten candidates being interviewed in the ensuing weeks, there have been various...[w]riters touting a certain manager for certain qualities...My thought is why do it that way? Instead of identifying what positive qualities a candidate possesses and then making a case for why that combination of qualities is in fact that best, why not just figure out which qualities are the most important?  Once we know what are the qualities that are most prized, coudn't we then just determine who best fits the mold?

To figure this out, on Monday and Tuesday votes were tallied through a convenient Google Docs form ranking everyone's five most important qualities in our next manager.  As refresher, a number one ranking was worth five points, four points for a second ranking, etc., etc., on down to one point if a quality was ranked fifth.  Just based on how I structured the point system, as the results came in I couldn't really figure out where the chips would fall.

  • Being young at heart or actually young.   Young
  • Intelligence and knowledge of the game.   Know
  • Communication and motivation skills.   Comm
  • Ability to judge talent.   Judge
  • Handles pitching staff well (likely a former catcher).   Pitch
  • Ability to utilize resources for maximum production.   Util
  • Current/previous ties with the Astros organization.    Astros
  • Ability to understand tactical and strategic basis for winning (sabermetrics preferred).   Win
  • Not a MLB veteran.   Not
  • MLB veteran.   Vet
  • Relationship with the media.   Relations
  • Ability to select and work with a high quality coaching staff.  Staff
And so, here are the results (I broke up 3-way tie for 2nd by number of first place votes):

Screen_shot_2009-10-14_at_10

To recap non-graphically, we'll be judging our managerial candidates based on whether they possess these qualities:

 

  1. Intelligence and knowledge of the game
  2. Ability to understand tactical and strategic basis for winning (sabermetrics preferred possibly).
  3. Ability to utilize resources for maximum production.
  4. Communication and motivation skills.
  5. Handles pitching staff well (likely a former catcher).
  6. Ability to select and work with a high quality coaching staff. 
  7. Ability to judge talent.
  8. Being young at heart or actually young.
  9. Current/previous ties with the Astros organization.
  10. MLB veteran.
The other three qualities didn't receive a single vote on a ballot I didn't end up deleting because it screwed up the sort and filter.  I think it's fitting the way the qualities ended up grouping: Savvy, communication skills, and then four other important things to us, but just not as distinct.

Ed Wade, please take note.

More From The Crawfish Boxes